Typical living houses on wood posts. From houses like that around the area of the TABO-TABO river, these ANI-ANI harvest knifes are dating .

In Okt./Nov. 1995 this old rice harvest-kifes were collected out of the wood post houses of the inhabitants living in SULAWESI-PANGKEP, around the area of the cement plant of PT-SEMEN TONASA (PERSERO), in the mountain villages around the TABO-TABO river. In this area farming people are living since generations having used this rice "ANI-ANI" harvest knifes.

Two typical ANI-ANI harvest knifes

Surroundings of the TABO-TABO river

Today only modern hand sickles made out of steel are in use. Sometimes you still can find some old rice harvest knifes in the houses of the farmer, however, this has got very rare.

The "ANI-ANI" knives are approx. 30-80 years old (some may be older ) and ar often very beautiful carved and decorated with geometric and-or zoomorphic pattern.

During use the knives were frequently held tight between the teeth to get free hands for binding the single rice bunches together. This is recognized sometimes to the worn wooden endings (B). The lateral rubbing marks (A) at the wood edge near the steel blade dates from the middle finger. Broken knives were repaired often.

Example for the high valency to this knifes which the owner will attach.

Knife by use strongly worn off

A) Strongly worn lateral edge because of long use.

B) Worn ends from holding between the teeth.

Knife indicating the name of user. Lateral edge inserted with steel wire to reduce rubbing off in this area.

The small cross-bar woodstick on the wooden back of the knife is mostly made from a piece of bamboo and was needed for guidance of the knife. This cross-bar woodstick was replaced often, because during use it loosened itself on the wooden back; partly it was fastened with a piece of cotton again.

Some knives are blackend by smoking because they are kept mostly on the garret which is regulary heavely smooked to fight every sort of insects living there, because the roofs of many houses are only covered with palm brushes.

All "ANI-ANI" rice harvest knifes are handcrafted and are not produced anymore in this pattern today, they are already exhibited in the National Museum of Jakarta, in Java.

Culture Period: Historik; farming people from Sulawesi around the TABO-TABO River area.

Age: 30-80 years and older.

Place found: Forest house villages around the TABO-TABO river, next city is PANGKEP; approx. 35-50 km away.

Finder: Ernst-Dieter Henze

Date found: Okt./Nov. 1995

Note: Simple "ANI-ANI" rice harvest knifes today you can still buy, but hardly to be used. Perhaps by old people on very small rice fields. Finder never watches within all the years of his journeys since 1982 the use of this knives in these areas.